High Noon for Sheriff David Clarke

When Sheriff David Clarke symbolically called him out in the street at high noon to settle their budget differences, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele simply replied: "It's not a movie."

Abele really knows how to hurt a guy.

For years, Clarke has been perfecting his act as the tough-talking loner played by Clint Eastwood in those old Hang 'Em High spaghetti Westerns.

You get the idea Clarke spends a lot of time in front of the mirror each morning carefully coordinating a beat-up straw cowboy hat with his oversized belt buckle and highly polished boots. Of course, Eastwood was always the strong, silent type. The sheriff not so much.

Clarke immediately ran to right-wing radio to tell on Abele after the county executive cut $14 million from the sheriff's budget.

Clarke also released a scathing written attack on Abele that would have sounded a lot tougher if it hadn't echoed that familiar cry of children, "You're not the boss of me!"

"He does not run the office of the sheriff and I do not take orders or directives from a county executive," Clarke raged arrogantly.

It's true the sheriff is elected independently and Abele doesn't run Clarke's office.

But Abele and the County Board do control the county budget. And with enormous cuts in state aid inflicted on the county by its former executive, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, county employees and every other county department are facing deep cuts.

Sheriff Throws a Tantrum

But if Abele expects Clarke to quietly cooperate and willingly help the county close its $55 million budget gap, the county executive shouldn't hold his breath. That's pretty much a direct quote.

"He (Abele) may think that he can require me to submit reports," Clarke said, adding that he doesn't have to do that for anybody. "My advice to him is not to hold his breath, because he's not getting any reports."

Clarke was particularly incensed that Abele eliminated $814,000 for a mock boot camp program the sheriff calls DOTS (Discipline, Order, Training and Structure).

Around the country, most boot camp programs for inmates have been discontinued because they are expensive, affect very few inmates and do very little to reduce recidivism.

Corrections experts say drug and alcohol treatment, job training, anger management and training in life skills are proven by data to be far more effective.

In a particularly nasty retort, Clarke threatened to shut down those more effective programs to keep DOTS running if his budget is cut.

"The first thing that will be cut as a result of this insane budget decrease will be in the area of inmate programs. Inmate programs, except DOTS, will cease to exist," he said.

That would be a much greater threat if Clarke hadn't already shut down most education and jobs programs for inmates. The few worthwhile programs that remain are fully funded by outside sources.

Resorting to the demagoguery he uses against judges and other community leaders, Clarke called the county executive's reductions in his budget proof that Abele is soft on crime.

Unfortunately for Clarke, Abele is far smarter than the sheriff's usual fawners on right-wing talk radio. In his budget address to the County Board, Abele exposed the lie behind the sheriff's carefully crafted public image as a major crime fighter.

Abele said, both by statute and by practice, the sheriff plays only a very limited role in law enforcement.

Unlike other counties around the state, Milwaukee County has no unincorporated areas to patrol and every city, town and village has its own trained police department to enforce the law.

"In 2009, the sheriff reported only 12 crimes to the FBI, compared to 41,000 for the city of Milwaukee and 3,200 for West Allis, and even 242 for the UWM Police Department," Abele noted.

Abele also has made some very astute moves to please Clarke's conservative supporters, including cutting county spending for a major public arts project and even for community assets Abele supports personally, such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Best of all, in the eyes of Clarke's biggest fans, Abele closed that $55 million county budget deficit without raising property taxes, just as he pledged in his campaign.

At the same time, Abele kept another campaign promise not to balance his budget on the backs of the county's poorest and most vulnerable the way Walker did. Abele protected county transit and expanded mental health services.

Does Clarke really expect his conservative supporters to join him in the street for a shootout with Abele to raise their taxes so that the sheriff's budget won't be cut?

The sheriff's about to find out what it really means to be a loner.

Tags

Joel McNally is a national-award-winning newspaper columnist and a longtime political commentator on Milwaukee radio and television. Since 1997, Joel has written a column for the Shepherd Express where he also was editor for two years.

Comments (10)

You don't need courage to hide behind a badge, Dav...

You don't need courage to hide behind a badge, David Clarke hasn't arrested anyone in years. Isn't this the same guy who helped a drunk on the freeway and then reprimanded the deputy who did the job he should have done.Don't fall for it Joel, you got it right, black on the outside means nothing. When you can only lord over the poor and indigent I guess that makes you tyrant of the year. Why do the people of Milwaukee County keep re-electing this nut case, oh, somebody got to lead the MLK parade. Let the dead lead the dead.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

Why do we have an ELECTED Sheriff? I think almost...

Why do we have an ELECTED Sheriff? I think almost every other County department head is appointed and serves at the pleasure of the County Board or Executive. The Sheriff's department is apparently set up to be run at the whim of the Sheriff. I would prefer a Sheriff, aka department manager who has to report to an Administrator/Manager.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

"Corrections experts say drug and alcohol treatmen...

"Corrections experts say drug and alcohol treatment, job training, anger management and training in life skills are proven by data to be far more effective."

Thats the dummest thing I've ever yeard. If you neutralize the hands of criminals or just terminate them, you never have to worry about them recommitting crimes. Even though Mr Clark is a Democrat, I'll give him credit for knowing how to deal with criminals. I think we should give him complete control over the local criminal justice system and what ever he says goes. He should also have control over local judges.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

Joel has just been totaly punked by the right wing...

Joel has just been totaly punked by the right wing. They have convinced him that a miority Democrat is the bad guy and the super rich White guy is his friend. I LOVE IT!!! Righ wing radio is going to make a laughing stock out of Joel. There goes Joel's chances of being the grand marshall in the MLK Jr Day Parade.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

I'm confused. I thought the Shepherd was NOT supp...

I'm confused. I thought the Shepherd was NOT suppose to criticize African American politicians. Why are they making a white guy like Abele sound like a hero and not the black guy? Where's McNally on this? Shouldn't the Shepherd be getting on a rich white guy like Abele? Isn't he the super rich that is suppose to be ruining our country? Poor Sheriff Clark, a disadvantage minority who has worked his way up. Looks like someone has got the Shepherd staff all mixed up. They are getting African Americans mixed up with conservatives and rich white men mixed up with liberals. Doesn't the Shepherd realize that the Sheriff is a DEMOCRAT!! ??

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

David Clarke is not a democrat, he only pretends t...

David Clarke is not a democrat, he only pretends to be one at election time.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

Why wouldn't Sheriff Clarke submit reports on how ...

Why wouldn't Sheriff Clarke submit reports on how productive or successful his programs are? Not doing it because he doesn't think he has to is kind of arrogant. His inability to see any other option but his own is not going to get him budget money. Only 12 crimes reported on a federal level in 2009? That's not law enforcement, he's a jailer and that's it, he gave up law enforcement when he left the police department.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

"Clarke immediately ran to right-wing radio to tel...

"Clarke immediately ran to right-wing radio to tell on Abele after the county executive cut $14 million from the sheriff's budget..."

And said what exactly? On what show? Oh that's right, once again there are no examples, no quotes, no nothing.

Anonymousmore than 6 years ago

"Most boot camp programs have been cancelled." "C...

"Most boot camp programs have been cancelled." "Corrections experts say..." Seriously, Joel- you're making this stuff up. Could you please submit just ONE example? One city that discontinued the boot camp program. One "corrections expert" that says other treatments are more effective. Just one.Here's the thing, Joel- Sheriff Clarke IS a corrections expert. You are a looney-tunes far-left columnist for a free rag of a paper. Honestly- do you think we'll take your WORD for this stuff? No thanks.

http://www.620wtmj.com/blogs/charliesykes/13083941...

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